VZCZCXYZ0014
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHJI #0233/01 0811334
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
P 221334Z MAR 06
FM AMCONSUL JEDDAH
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 8944
INFO RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH PRIORITY 6296
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RUEKJCS/DIA WASHDC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NSC WASHDC PRIORITY

C O N F I D E N T I A L JEDDAH 000233 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
RIYADH, PLEASE, PASS, TO, DHAHRAN, PARIS, FOR, ZEYA, 
LONDON, FOR, TSOU, DEPARTMENT, FOR, NEA/ARP 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/21/2016 
TAGS: OEXC SCUL
SUBJECT: JEDDAH BOASTS FIRST MUSEUM SPECIFICALLY BUILT TO 
DOCUMENT SAUDI CULTURAL HERITAGE 
 
 
Classified By: CONSUL GENERAL TATIANA GFOELLER FOR 
REASONS 1.4 (b) AND (d). 
 
¶1. (U) SUMMARY. CG and ConOff visited the Jeddah Darah 
museum, home to the permanent exhibition of local artist 
Safeya Binzagr's artwork and her collection of Saudi cultural 
antiquities.  From oil paintings that depict early twentieth 
century Saudi marriage ceremonies to lithographs that depict 
Bedouin camps, the museum offers the public a rare glimpse 
into the Saudi contemporary art movement. When asked about 
the inspiration for her subject matter, Ms. Binzagr replied, 
"My paint brush became the instrument of documenting our 
heritage...pictures of the traditions we have lost in our 
rush forward." While many other art museums in Saudi Arabia 
functioned at one time as an office or home, the Darah was 
specifically designed and built to serve as a museum.  In 
addition to displaying artwork that catalogs Saudi Arabia's 
cultural heritage, the museum also boasts one of the few fine 
arts libraries in the Kingdom and provides public art lessons 
to both women and children.  Literary and art lectures are 
held periodically, and Saudi women pursuing higher degrees in 
art and art history serve as "resident scholars". With Ms. 
Binzagr's ambitious plans to expand the museum's educational 
and public outreach efforts, the museum has the potential to 
set THE example for responsible and progressive cultural 
conservation for all of Saudi Arabia.  END SUMMARY. 
 
THE FIRST OF ITS KIND 
 
¶2. (U) CG and ConOff had the opportunity to visit the Safeya 
Binzagr Darah museum in Jeddah.  The museum is the site for 
the permanent exhibition of local artist Safeya Binzagr's own 
artwork and her collection of Saudi cultural antiquities.  CG 
and ConOff were met by Ms. Binzagr who explained the impetus 
behind the museum.  In the early 1960s, Ms. Binzagr began 
painting scenes depicting traditional Saudi life.  While her 
work had been exhibited in private homes and museums in Saudi 
and abroad, she wanted to build a publicly-accessible museum 
in which she could display all of her works in Jeddah.  While 
other galleries in Saudi Arabia had at one time functioned as 
an office or home, Ms. Binzagr specifically designed the 
Darah to serve as a museum.  The construction was completed 
in 1995, but the museum did not open until 2000 when it was 
fully equipped to collect, preserve, and exhibit her works. 
As Ms. Binzagr explained, "the inauguration of the Darah was 
a significant cultural event in Saudi because the 
establishment of art museums by private individuals is a rare 
event in the Arab World...for the first time, I could be sure 
that my art would be preserved in the manner it needed to 
be." 
 
¶3. (C) COMMENT.  While it is clear that Ms. Binzagr's primary 
interest in establishing the museum was to have a place to 
showcase her work, it became evident to CG and ConOff that 
she also wants to establish a precedent in Saudi Arabia.  By 
designing and building her own museum, she hopes to encourage 
other Saudis to establish similar museums, thereby extending 
the scope of Saudi cultural preservation beyond archeology 
and folklore. To this end, Ms. Binzagr and her staff reach 
out to private Saudi businessmen from throughout the Kingdom 
to encourage them to make charitable donations to this and 
possible future museums. END COMMENT. 
 
CONTEMPORARY APPROACH, ANCIENT THEME 
 
¶4. (U) Ms. Binzagr defines her work as "Saudi contemporary 
art."  While her artistic approach is modern and, at times, 
abstract in design, each of her pieces depicts some element 
of early Saudi social history.  Oil paintings and lithographs 
depicting everything from a traditional women's souq in 
Riyadh to the experiences of a 1920s bride and groom on their 
wedding day hang in the museum's main gallery.  There are 
also images of rugged fishermen going about their daily 
routines, traditional Arabian architecture that "is rapidly 
disappearing", and Bedouin men and women surviving the harsh 
desert without modern amenities.  When asked about the 
inspiration for her subject matter, Ms. Binzagr replied, "My 
paint brush became the instrument of documenting our 
heritage...pictures of the traditions we have lost in our 
rush forward. I was determined to leave a complete record of 
our cultural heritage for future generations." 
 
¶5. (C) In addition to fine art, the museum also has a rare 
collection of traditional Saudi women's costumes, which Ms. 
Binzagr has acquired through donations.  Most of the gowns 
and head dressings were elaborate pieces used in marriage 
 
ceremonies.  COMMENT. CG noted that while some of the 
costumes were clearly made using traditional hand-stitching 
techniques, some were not.  Ms. Binzagr admitted that some 
were actually machine-made to look "traditional", 
highlighting the fact that, despite her best efforts, the 
acquisition of "real" period-clothing from Saudi Arabia's 
early days is next to impossible.  Saudi culture has not 
historically valued "artifacts", which is all the more reason 
why Ms. Binzagr's work is so important. END COMMENT. 
 
THE MAKINGS OF AN ART INSTITUTE 
 
¶6. (U) Above the first-story gallery is an entire floor 
dedicated to art education.  Under the direction of Ms. 
Binzagr the museum conducts two art classes - one comprised 
of children and the other exclusively of women - and 
maintains one of the largest libraries in Saudi Arabia 
dedicated to art technique and history.  She has encouraged 
students and supporters to donate English and Arabic art 
books to grow her collection. Currently, nine Saudi women 
pursuing higher degrees in art and art history utilize the 
museum's resources, including the library and fine art 
collection.  Another dozen women have already received their 
higher degrees after serving as "resident scholars" in the 
museum.  Recently, the museum has begun holding public 
literary and art lectures and has developed a website to 
increase the scope of their public outreach. 
 
¶7. (U) The museum organizes an annual children's art 
competition for children and recently invited children 
between the ages of nine and fourteen to submit a drawing or 
painting on the theme of "Red Sea angel fish." Last year's 
theme was "traditional Arabian door architecture."  The 
winners' art will be displayed at a local shopping mall and 
included in the museum's yearly calendar.  According to Ms. 
Binzagr, more than 100 children from throughout Saudi Arabia 
participate every year in the competition. 
 
¶7. (C) COMMENT.  The educational portion of the museum has 
the look and feel of a small-scale art institute and of a 
center for the exploration of Saudi art history, a novel 
concept in Saudi culture.  With Ms. Binzagr's ambitious plans 
to expand the museum building, its collection, its public 
outreach efforts, and its studios, the museum certainly has 
the potential to set THE example for responsible and 
progressive cultural conservation for all of Saudi Arabia. 
END COMMENT. 
 
Gfoeller